42. Do not demand love from your neighbor, because
you will suffer if you don’t receive it; but better still, you indicate your
love toward your neighbor and you will settle down. In
this way, you will lead your neighbor toward love.
42. Don’t exchange your love toward your neighbor
for some type of object, because in having love toward your neighbor, you
acquire within yourself Him, Who is most precious in the whole world. Forsake
the petty so as to acquire the great; spurn the excessive and everything
meaningless so as to acquire the valuable.
44. Shelter the sinner if it brings you no harm.
Through this you will encourage him toward repentance and reform — and attract
the Lord’s mercy to yourself. With a kind word and all possible means, fortify
the infirm and the sorrowful and that Right Arm that controls everything, will
also support you. With prayers and sorrow of your heart, share your lot with
the aggrieved and the source of God’s mercy will open to your entreaties.
43. When giving, give magnanimously with a look of
kindness on your face, and give more than what is asked of you.
43. Do not distinguish the worthy from the
unworthy. Let everyone be equal to you for good deeds, so that you may be able
to also attract the unworthy toward goodness, because through outside acts, the
soul quickly learns to be reverent before God.
43. Do not annoy or hate anyone – neither for faith,
nor for his evil deeds… If you want to convert someone to truth, then grieve
over him, with tears and love say a word or two to him, but do not burst out in
anger, and may he not see any sign of hatred on your part, because love is not
able to hate, or become irritated, or reproach anyone with passion…
43. A merciful heart — is a heart afire for all
creation: for people, bird, animals, (even) for demons and all of God’s
creations. At the recollection of them or at looking at them, the eyes of the
person shed tears. From a great compassion, his heart is moved and he is unable
to hear or witness any type of harm or even minor sorrow that the creatures
endure. That is why he is continually praying for the irrational animal, for
the enemies of the truth and those that have brought him harm, so that they
would be saved and granted mercy. And he prays for the dumb animal with such
great sorrow, which his heart evokes, that it is without bounds and akin in all
respect to God’s.
43. He who shows kindness toward the poor has God
as his guardian, and he who becomes poor for the sake of God will acquire
abundant treasures. God is pleased when He sees people showing concern for
others for His sake. When someone asks you for something, don’t think:
"Just in case I might need it, I shall leave it for myself, and God —
through other people — will give that person what he requires." These
types of thoughts are peculiar to people that are iniquitous and do not know
God. A just and generous person would not compromise the honor of helping and
relinquish it to another person, and he would never pass up an opportunity to
help. Every beggar and every needy person receives the necessary essentials,
because God doesn’t neglect anyone. But you, having sent away the destitute with
nothing, spurned the honor offered to you by God and thereby, distanced
yourself from His grace.
44. Through God’s providence, he who respects
every person for God’s sake, privately acquires help
from every human being.
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